History

Yesterday, while we still had the car, we visited the Darwin Aviation Museum which had very compelling exhibits relating to the 1st. and most destructive air raids on Darwin by the Japanese on 19th. February 1942. Over 200 people killed and a number of ships, including the US destroyer USS Peary, sunk. The main targets were the air force bases here and at Katherine and the port installations. They were spectacularly successful and during the entire bombing campaign more bombs were dropped on Darwin than were used at Pearl Harbour, only 2 months previously. In fact it was the same Japanese Navy task force (including 4 carriers) just north of Darwin in the Arafura Sea that carried out the assault on Pearl Harbour. Darwin was largely destroyed and all civilians were evacuated south. In fact no civilians were allowed to return until 1946. The scale of the destruction and loss of life was heavily censored so that much of Australia was not aware how extensive these and subsequent air raids actually were. Apparently the Japanese High Command soon after seriously considered invasion. The Navy was pro invasion and the Army against, because they no doubt realised the logistical difficulties. But it was a close thing.
There were other exhibits including a Mirage fighter and a F111 fighter bomber - all used by the RAAF at various times. But the piece de resistance was the only southern hemisphere exhibit of a USAF B52 bomber. This was the aircraft which, in its various stages of development, was used by the US Strategic Air Command at the height of the Cold War to keep nuclear bombs and missiles permanently in the air ready for instant deployment against the USSR in the event that the Russians launched a nuclear attack. During those years we were a hairsbreadth away from MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction) - and viewing that aircraft brought that reality vividly home. Of course B52's were also used to bomb Vietnam and a greater weight of ordnance was dropped on Vietnam than was used during the entire 2nd. World War.
The aircraft is painted matt black and is massive with a huge wingspan to enable it to carry the payload of ordnance that it did. It is powered by eight Pratt and Whitney jet engines and there are landing wheels, not only at 2 locations under the fuselage, but also out near each wingtip. There was a propaganda film repeatedly playing emphasising the role of "peacekeeper" that this aircraft was purported to have played during the Cold War, but looking at it up close and standing in the open bomb bay only emphasised the fact that it was capable of and used as an instrument of mass destruction and death. Very sobering and sinister indeed and one was left with a nasty cold feeling. We had gone to the museum with our Norwegian friends and we all felt it. The conversation was muted for a time afterwards.
We then returned to the city to visit Customs. Frank and Morten arranged their clearance out as they were departing for Kupang (Indonesia) in the morning and we did the preliminaries towards our own clearance later in the month. Then it was some more provision shopping and we all returned to the marina.
Then this morning at 0645 "Frida" cast off from her berth and we were there to wave them off as they passed through the marina lock at high tide. Again it emphasised the constant farewelling of friends that in all probability we will never see again. They will have left Indonesia before we arrive there and they are bound for Christmas Island before crossing the South Indian Ocean bound for Reunion and Durban before rounding the Cape of Good Hope to Cape Town en route to home in Stavanger, Norway. We wished them all the very best.
Work has now started in earnest on Tiare as we have only 11 days left to attend to our list of things to do including provisioning for the next 3 months. Although it won't be as much of a problem as provisioning to come from Cairns to Darwin as we will be plied with fresh produce everywhere we stop in Indonesia. We are looking forward to that.
More to come and much love from....................
Jim and Jean xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
www.tiaretaporo3.blogspot.com

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